An evaluation of Montana's alternative certification program for special education teachers surveyed 117 current students, graduates, mentors, and administrators. Results indicated appreciation for the program but perceived needs for more instruction in severe disabilities, behavior management, development of individualized education programs, and…

This study evaluates the effects of a family development project implemented in Uyanwatta, a poor rural village in Kandy district, Sri Lanka, on the academic achievement of at-risk elementary school students. Specifically, the study examined the level of mother's involvement in enriching the family environment and its impact on children's academic…

The West Virginia University Special Education Transition Project trains school guidance and rehabilitation counselors to support disabled students during school-to-work transition. Specifically, project goals are to develop, refine, and implement programs that provide school and rehabilitation counselors with transition and special education…

This paper reports on a study evaluating a graduate-level distance education program that provides special education teacher preparation at rural sites throughout Utah. The program was developed by the University of Utah to address problems associated with teacher recruitment and retention in rural areas. The program uses an "integrated"…

During the spring of 1993, a needs assessment was conducted in rural Kansas communities to determine existing services and community strengths available to special needs children. Interviews were conducted with a cross section of the community regarding community resources, collaboration, parent and family involvement, planning processes, and…

This New York State study evaluated problems encountered by children with handicapping conditions and their parents (N=1,486) in obtaining a free, appropriate public education. The majority (64 percent) of parents were satisfied with their child's educational program. Only 19 percent were dissatisfied. Parents of children with physical…

This paper examines data collected from 1988-1989 and identifies a number of correlated factors. The data were drawn from the "1988-1989 District and School Profile," a survey conducted and published annually by the Mississippi State Department of Education. The ACT scores used represent the aggregate scores from within a district while…

At the request of the North Carolina School Boards Association, a nationally recognized expert on school and school district consolidation evaluated the 1986 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) plan for school district consolidation from the perspective of economic, educational, and social/political considerations, including the…

This is an early assessment of the Rural Community Service Coordinator Program (RCSCP), organized by the University of Missouri Extension Service using funds from the federal Food Security Act of 1985. Five full-time coordinators were named by area mental health officials to help rural people cope with despair and emotional disturbances caused by…

Justification for school district consolidation is made on the basis of either reducing cost or increasing educational quality. Some cost reduction may be realized through certain economies of scale in some consolidations but it is by no means automatic. The Illinois State Board of Education emphasizes the relationship between high school size and…

The Queensland Primary Itinerant Teacher Service assists home tutors with the education of primary school children on correspondence education, supplementing the efforts of the Primary Correspondence School (PCS) and the Schools of the Air (SOTA). Primary means of service delivery is the home visit. The role of the itinerant teacher encompasses…

Performance of rural 13-year-olds on the 1971-1972 social studies assessment by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were reviewed in terms of three major exercise themes. Performance on skill exercises revealed rural strengths in source selection and human affairs insights, but weaknesses in reading maps and graphs. Fewer than…

In July, 1976, Alaska's 21 Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) came into being; these REAAs provide elementary and secondary education in a huge geographical area for approximately 11,000 pupils, 70% of whom are Native. Prior to 1976 education for these rural areas was controlled centrally by a distant state agency. Beginning in 1975,…

Structural and cultural inequalities hinder the attainment of approximately 25 million rural American youth. A characteristic lack of education and employment opportunities is combined with a restricted realm of attainment in rural areas. Rural people are negatively stereotyped by the mass society, as seen in an examination of linguistic terms…

In an effort to help shape a research agenda for rural education, this document reviews the research on rural education and at-risk students to determine the relative influence on student outcomes of poverty and community location. Sections of this review address: methodological considerations (definitions of "rural" and "at-risk," inadequate…